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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wax — to grow
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. net — for catching
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. net — in sport
  11. mark — a grade
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mark — a trace
  16. net — after costs
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com